Friday, December 13, 2013

McDonald's Holiday Ad – Dec. 1962

Here's a nice seasonal ad for the McDonald's restaurant that used to be located on West Erie (U. S. 6) at Leavitt Road. It appeared in The Lorain Journal in late December 1962.

The ad is particularly well-written, with some genuinely heartfelt copy.

The West Erie Avenue restaurant held its Grand Opening on Wednesday, June 29, 1960.

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Although I can't say that my family patronized the restaurant very much (we went to Sandy's instead), that great, original McDonald's sign with the Speedee mascot really left an impression on me whenever we drove by it.

It's just too bad that the various national and regional restaurant businesses along that stretch of the highway – McDonald's, Howard Johnson's, Manners, etc. – just couldn't make it. The siphoning off of east-west traffic by the new Route 2 probably doomed them.

If they had succeeded, more businesses might have been attracted to that side of town and Lorain would have a good strip of tax-paying businesses on its outskirts to rival Vermilion.

However, it's nice that, along with a couple of motels, a few mom-and-pop restaurants still remain down there (although the latest to occupy the former McDonald's location unfortunately didn't last very long).

2 comments:

-Alan D Hopewell said...

Sometimes, my ma would pick me up at Boone Elementaty for lunch, rather than walking home, and she'd take me to McDonald's on West Erie.

Back then, all the hamburgers came with everything on them, so I always had a fish sandwich, fries, and a chocolate shake.

Hope you and yours are well!

Mike Kozlowski said...

I remember the West Erie McD's so well, as well as the one on Colorado Avenue. And to show you how far back I go, I remember when you walked up to the window and ordered...and the place was closed at least six months out of the year. :)

Mike